Day 5 - Alness to John O'Groats

Up with the lark this morning as we had a 6am start.

We woke up to stunning morning, grabbed our bikes and got ready to set off whilst everyone else slept snuggly on the bus.

With staying at the camp site we had a few more miles to ride until we hit the A9 but when we did the view over the Cromarty Firth was out of this world with the mist rolling off the land and making the rigs that were in for repair look like ghosts.

We had a fairly laid back ride as we just took in the countryside on our journey to just north of Dornoch - the bridge over Dornoch Firth was another stunning bridge ride. We passed over the baton (it was actually a pebble from Lands End) to team B and we got in the minibus and headed to Helmsdale a cracking little harbour village and a good phone signal meant a chance to phone and check on things at home.

After piling on the tour bus we drove into Wick for a final 'dump' stop before John O'Groats. About 10 miles out from JOG we all got on our bikes and started the final ride.

After a final hill we swept down into John O'Groats to finish our ride.

After hand shakes and hugs all round it was time for the end of ride photos.

So there you go - 874 miles with us spending 59 hours 50 minutes in the saddle knocking an amazing 20 hours off our target and raising £46,000 in the process but the most amazing statistic of all is the number of punctures - none!

There is one group of people without whom none of this would have been possible - they were up and out from 6am and didn't finish their day until all the riders had finished - our amazing drivers.

(L-R)Colin (tour bus driver), Alan, Simon, Beccy, Billy.

Quite how the guys (and girl) can cope driving a van at cycling speeds without getting fed up of the traffic queuing up behind them I don't know. Add to that the fantastic banter and the willingness to put up with no end of abuse from us cyclists and always come back smiling and cheery.

As for Colin - the phrase 'Cool as f**k' was made for him. Mirrored aviator shades, laid back attitude and a job driving fuel into Vietnam during the war this guy is class.

So that's it - 6 months of preparation for under 60 hours work and it's been bloody ace.

Day 4 - Abington to Alness

We woke up to a chilly but gloriously sunny morning and after breakfast piled into the minibus to head to the change over point at which we would take over from team D.

Our leg was fairly uneventful starting off in stunning scenery before heading into the industrial outskirts of Edinburgh then over the Forth Road bridge. The ride over the bridge was spectacular - we stopped off for some photos (need to get them off Wayne) and the amount the bridge shakes with the traffic is very impressive. I'm not sure how high up above the water the road deck is but the contents of my nasal passages took 14 seconds to hit the water so any one with a mathematical mind can work out the height I'm sure. Tony also had the worlds longest wee on the bridge so if the southern pier starts to corrode first you know why.

Upon getting back to the minibus and handing over to team B at the summit of a lengthy hill I had a number of missed calls and texts off my wife saying our dog was quite poorly. After a brief and emotional call Hugh was booked in for the vets for two hours time and in my heart I knew he wouldn't be there to greet me when I get home.

There was also another worry for the whole team - the bust was poorly sick with a huge hole in the exhaust so Colin had found a MAN service centre for it to be looked at. Teams A and D found a Frankie and Benny's which was doing two breakfasts for £10 so second serving of haggis of the trip was promptly scoffed with the dog constantly being in my mind. After stuffing our faces we went to the service centre to pick up the bus and were greeted by the sight below.

Seeing 18 tonnes of bus in the air was very, very impressive. The MAN guys were great and didn't charge for the repair and wanted to know everything about our trip so a big thank you to them.

Once back on the bus I went to my bunk to await the phone call from my wife. Hugh had aged in the past six months but he was 16 so it wasn't surprising he was slowing down but I was still hoping it would be something small wrong with him and he'd be there when I got home but it wasn't to be. At half twelve I got the call from Julie and she gently said 'he's gone' - I was gutted. Gutted that I hadn't been able to say goodbye, gutted I wasn't there with him at the end and gutted for Julie having to look after things on her own. After a few minutes of talking we said goodbye and I stayed in my bunk and had a good cry - to be perfectly honest I just wanted to be at home but I still had an appointment with the A9 that afternoon so I just had to get on with things (in hindsight it's probably been better being on the ride and Julie had it harder than me).

We again took over from team D on the A9 to ride to the outskirts of Aviemore. This was the worst bit of road on the trip so far - the scenery was stunning but the road was just so boring and the traffic heavy but the support van did a fantastic job of keeping the traffic off our backs to a certain extent.By this time we'd also realised that drivers were hooting their horns at us in support at us rather that in anger at us so we had stopped giving the drivers the finger. One section of dual carriageway on the A9 was down to one land and it was very narrow so we did about 3 miles with a huge queue of traffic behind us. Again we rode a bit further than scheduled but this did mean hot showers at McDonald hotel in Aviemore bus it was mildly amusing that the name on our pass said War Trade and not WaterAid. After a few beers we set off for the overnight stop at a truckstop just outside Alness.

The truckstop was supposed to have a bar, a restaurant and a hook up for the tour bus. When we arrived it was shut up - there was a woman in there but she wouldn't open the door so Sam phoned her and she said we should have been there at 7, they we shut and we couldn't have a hook up - what's happened to the legendary Scottish hospitality?

Luckily for the whole team Tim was meeting a mate at the truckstop so they went off to find somewhere else for the bus for the night. About half an hour later we got a call they'd found a campsite that would take us. What a campsite it was - if anyone wants a campsite up that way I can really recommend Black Rock camping and caravan site as its beautiful and has fantastic facilities.

Everyone decided they were going to go to the pub but I didn't feel like it so after a pot noodle it's off to bed.

Day 3 - Stone to Abington

Well today has been a great day - it's not every day you get to ride with a double Olympic medalist, ride into work to cheers and applause from your colleagues and ride into a new country.

After waking up early for a call of nature and seeing Flash & Dash getting ready for the early stint I went back to bed and was woken by the gentle rocking of the bus as it headed towards Warrington where we would all get onto our bikes and ride to the United Utilities head office to see our colleagues and do a bit of press and publicity. A brief stop for the first two teams to meet up with Olympic silver rowing and individual pursuit gold medalist Rebecca Romero was the only interlude on the journey to Dawson House.

At Dawson house we all decamped from the vehicles and had a photo taken of the whole team with Rebecca in front of the bus.

We then had individual photos taken and I have to admit to suffering from a bit of hero awe.

Then it was time for a quick 1.4 mile blast round to Lingley Mere to see our colleagues. It was great sweeping around the business park as one group and I couldn't believe how many people had come out to see us - it was a real lump in throat moment for me.

After chatting with the local press we had another photo taken of us all and Rebecca for the Warrington Guardian.

After that we got back on the minibus and headed to Standish where we were to start our leg. Up to now the weather had been fantastic (for my team anyway) with shorts and short sleeve jersey being the order of the day but the weather was starting to close in when we took over from team D. Within a couple of miles the arm warmers were on and a few miles later the gilet made an appearance too.

The leg was fairly uneventful with riding through Preston being a bit of a chore but Simon's family cheering us on through Garstang being a highlight.

On arrival at Forton we had the choice of of greasy spoon van or the chippy down the road which I'd ridden past numerous times and was recommended by Simon - chippy it was!

After a lunch of steak and kidney pudding, chips and curry it was back on the bus for the trip up to Todhills services from where we would take over for the journey across the border into Scotland.

At Todhills we realised that from the services we could cut through the bushes to the B road we would be cycling along. The temperature had by now dropped so the kit for the ride had extended to bib knickers and windproof jacket.

The profile of the ride wasn't too bad but my legs refused to work - heart rate was fine, breathing was fine but my legs just wouldn't spin the pedals. On the few little rises on the route I was plummeting down the gears and was getting dropped by Tony and Wayne with alarming regularity.

Eventually the leg was over and we piled into the minibus for the short drive to the tour bus with me feeling very embarrassed over my poor performance. Home for the night was in the bus parked up next to the Abington Hotel in Lanarkshire. After a dinner of chicken and haggis it was off to bed as tomorrow we have an earlier start as we are second team out with a ride over the Forth road bridge.

Day 2 - Okehampton to Stone

So much for the lie in - up at 5am and making drinks for Tom and Pete who were first off at 6am.

After a nice hot shower in the campsite shower block and a breakfast of porridge and banana (much healthier that Pete banana, Red Bull and Haribo sours breakfast) we set off in the bus to Taunton where we would switch into the mini bus for the start of our leg in the village of Star south of Bristol.

Today's start point for us was in the Star Inn car park.

This start point led into a gentle climb from the off so it was into  formation and on with the journey.

Soon we came upon a massive climb that meant bottom gear for a few miles - it was one of those climbs that you think is easing then you go round the corner and it continues to climb.

Of course the bonus of a climb is a sweeping descent down into Bristol.

Once in Bristol things started to go wrong for the first time. We were meant to cut up a steep hill from under the Clifton Suspension bridge but it was shut throwing out our route plan. Never mind if we follow the diversion signs we'll be fine won't we - erm not if there aren't any!!!

Before we started this leg Mike from team D killed the GPS unit so we couldn't see how far off the route we were going. We saw a sign that said A4(A38) and as we were going onto the A38 we followed that but after 5 miles and us getting very near Avonmouth docks we threw in the towel and asked Simon and Beccy in the support van to navigate us back on route. Simon came up with a route that took us through the hilliest council estates in Bristol complete with sofas and beer fridges in the front gardens. Eventually after a slight altercation with a bell end in a Toyota we were back on track and had great support from my bro in law Richard and his work mates from Orange and even managed to high 5 him on what was on his 40th birthday. On arriving at the bus for the change over with team B we'd covered and extra 7 miles.

Back on the bus we had a lunch fit for a king - cheese, onion and tomato batches before chilling out and resting for the final leg of the day which was the Wolverhampton to Stone leg and to our stop for the night the Stone House Hotel (again we were staying in the bus in the car park but had a room booked for us to shower in).

As the night leg was fairly flat we'd decided to go hell for leather so after a quick pee in Wickes car park in Wolverhampton we were ready for the off.

The previous night Team D had cycled to the hotel, 5 miles short of their allocated distance but team B had added that to their distance. It had been agreed with team C who first off from Stone that we would ride to the hotel and they would do the extra miles the next morning.

We set a hard pace and sat on the limit from the start and Beccy was offering us vocal encouragement from on the van and in what seemed no time at all we arrived at the hotel. At the hotel we rode round looking for the bus and then got a call from the bar saying the bus had gone for fuel and that we hadn't finished and had to ride the extra four miles to the end of the leg. A brief conversation on the phone was ended when we decided that it was too cold to argue and set off to finish the leg but missing my pedal resulted in an intimate moment with the nose of my saddle. We did the extra mileage at a slower rate but still averaged 18.9mph for the whole leg.

When we got to the hotel the bus was back parked behind the kitchens and plugged into the mains (it only has power when the engine is running) and we just chilled out over the disagreement. The leisure centre at the hotel was available so we used the facilities and had a shower before retiring to the TV lounge for burger and chips and bread and butter pudding and custard (pudding highlight of the week). A couple of bottles of lager and then time for bed as tomorrow is a big day with Rebecca Romero (Olympic silver rowing medalist and gold cycling medalist) riding with us, a ride into our head office in Warrington and the ride into Scotland.

Day 1 - Warrington to Lands End to Okehampton

Well it was a 5am departure from sunny Bolton le Sands to head down to Warrington to meet the rest of the team and the support vehicles (big orange tour bus, minibus and the van).

After packing our kit (or repacking the van with the bikes in it numerous times) we were finally ready to set off at around 7am. The journey flew by and we were soon at Taunton services for our first stop and the first disappointed people when no one famous appeared off the bus.

It had become apparent that Colin the bus driver was going to run out of driving hours so the plan was changed to get us dropped off as near to Lands End as possible so that we could move into the minibus and van for the final part of the journey so that Colin could get the bus to the overnight stop in Okehampton.

Arriving at Lands End was fairly uneventful with the exception of Billy very nearly knocking a motorbike over with the van.

After paying the man with the none digital camera to put Blazing Saddles in the sign we had our photos taken as a group and then in the individual teams.

So that's Tony, Wayne and me ready to start as we were the team charged with completing the first session.

With a load of people clapping and cheering us on we all set off for the first 9 hours of riding with everyone except my team getting on the minibus after 5 miles leaving us to the joys of the A30.

The section was pretty uneventful for us apart from a French coach driver moaning at us for taking up too much of the road and the A30 wasn't as bad with a few of you cycling rather than being a solo rider although having the van behind made people well aware of what was ahead of them.

After 20 miles we got over taken by a tractor so slip streamed it for 5 miles before the van over took us with Tim saying we had five miles left so it was a shock when we suddenly saw the minibus and the next team ready to ride.

Tom and Pete then took over whilst the rest of us went in Redruth looking for somewhere for the last two teams out to get some food as the first few teams could eat in the pub where the tour bus was parked up for the night.

A brisk drive followed to pick up team B and passing them on a traditional Cornish hill Pete was hear to utter the quote of the day 'f***ing hell'. After a windy change over on the A30 Pete showed off his bad case of helmet hair.

As team C took over the mini bus raced along to drop teams A & B at Betty Cottles Inn which is where the tour bus was so we could shower and get dinner.

The bus was parked up in the campsite in a glorious location and the three young girls running in out of the bus made us realise that Colin the driver hadn't been joking when he said he lived in Okehampton.

A nice tea of New York chicken washed down with a couple of pints of Doom Bar was very enjoyable and the arrival on team D in the light meant that we had completed our target mileage in 5 hours as opposed to 9 hours - hopefully we've not burnt out on day 1.

The day finished with a number 2 - a few of us are getting a bit obsessed but not being able to poop on the bus is a bit of a pain.

Overall the day that started at around 4am finished at around 11pm with me climbing into my 3ft x 6ft x 2ft bunk. Team A aren't out until 11:30am tomorrow so get a lie in before we ride the Bristol leg and the Wolverhampton to Stone leg.

Home for the challenge

So where do 14 people (10 riders and 4 drivers) sleep on a challenge like this?

Well the answer is bright orange and weighs 18 tonnes.

The downstairs lounge and kitchen area

Upstairs lounge

The bunks

Plenty of HD TVs, playstations and blueray players to keep us amused in the off the bike times. The kitchen has a sink, kettle, microwave and a thing that we can't decide if it's a dishwasher or a breadmaker but its actually an ice making machine.

A final scare

Well at 5pm tonight we found out the engine on the tour bus had gone bang so it wasn't looking good for somewhere to chill and kip when off the bikes.

Various scenarios were worked through before a replacement bus was sorted out. Basically it's the same as the other bus but without a shower - it's going to smell!!!!!

I'll try and keep this blog updated regularly updated but as I'm running on the mobile phone network for connectivity I can promise how regular it will be.

Next stop Lands End!!!!!!!

Final Preparations

Well the bike is all sorted, 11-26 cassette replaced with an 11-28 one.

The Omega rims laced to Shimano hubs with 32 plain gauge spokes have been replaced with a set of Mavic Cosmic Elites.

I've also been a cheapskate and made my own handle bar mount for my Garmin Forerunner out of an old inner tube, bit of pipe lagging and some electrical tape.

Just about to start packing starting with a first aid kit.

Final Weekend of preparation

After the ride seeming like ages away we're now down to five days until we set off and whilst the training is all sorted I seem to have a whole heap of stuff to sort out this weekend.

1) A couple of gentle rides of low effort and low mileage.

2) Final check over of the bike - need to remember to put the low ratio cassette back on.

3) Another bit of GPS fettling.

4) Wash, check and pack all the cycling kit.

5) Pack the rest of my clothes for off the bike time.

6) Pick up a stack of books that should be at the library for me to help the off bike hours pass.

7) Sort out the walking gear for the wife who is off walking with her friends the Saturday I'm away.

8) Cut the grass and tidy the garden.

9) Have some chill out time.

10) Probably end up in the bike shop buying something too no doubt.

Live Tracking

This is the live tracking that we'll be using to monitor the locations of all the riders and support vehicles during the challenge.

This map will only show my location.

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

The ride schedule

As everybody has been asking where we'll be riding each day I thought I'd better post our schedule up so here goes.

Wednesday 8th June (3pm start)- Lands End to Okehampton.

Thursday 9th June - Okehampton to Stone.

Friday 10th June - Stone to Abington (north of Moffat)

Saturday 11th June - Abington to Alness (north of Inverness)

Sunday 12th June - Alness to John O'Groats (3pm finish)